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Ludwig Smash Invitational tourney will feature $60K prize pool

The event will bring 32 Melee and Ultimate players together for a shot at the biggest prize pool in Smash history

08/30/2022

Provided by Ludwig Twitter The Ludwig Smash Invitational is scheduled to take place Oct. 21-23 in Las Vegas and be streamed on YouTube.

by Olivia Richman

Super Smash Bros. is getting its largest tournament prize pool ever with a $60,004 purse for the upcoming Ludwig Smash Invitational.

Streamer Ludwig Ahgren has announced the event Tuesday. The Ludwig Smash Invitational will blow most Smash tournament prize pools out of the water. The LAN tournament will feature 32 top Melee players, 32 of the best Ultimate players and even a last-chance qualifier.

Ludwig may have blown up due to his Twitch subathon in 2021, but the streamer has been big in the Smash scene for years. He is no stranger to hosting Melee tournaments, but this will by far be his biggest investment in the esport.

Here’s everything we know so far about the high-stakes Smash competition.

THE BIGGEST SMASH INVITATIONAL OF ALL TIME

32 MELEE PLAYERS
32 ULTIMATE PLAYERS
LAST CHANCE QUALIFIERS ON FRI

OCTOBER 21-23 ON MY CHANNEL pic.twitter.com/Dt6mRkQVsZ

— ludwig (@LudwigAhgren) August 30, 2022

Ludwig Smash Invitational dates

Ludwig is planning his invitational for Oct. 21-2, with the last-chance qualifier beginning Oct. 21. The top eight from the LCQ will then be able to compete in the main event alongside some of the best players in the world. Ludwig will also reimburse their flight and accommodation costs.

The format and exact schedule are still unknown.

Where to watch the Ludwig Smash Invitational

The Melee and Ultimate tournaments will be held in Las Vegas. There will be no spectator badges, but the entire weekend of action will be livestreamed on Ludwig’s YouTube channel.

This is the same channel where Ludwig held the Ludwig Ahgren Championship Series, which was previously the largest Melee tournament of all time in terms of prize pool. He made the prize pool $30,001 in order to obtain the record.

Super Smash Bros. has had notoriously low prize pools compared to other esports tournaments, which many within the community blame on Nintendo. Without the developers’ financial support, the prize pools are often crowd-funded.

Melee and Ultimate players competing for $30,002 each tourney

Not every participant has been revealed just yet, but Ludwig has stated that there will be 32 Melee players and 32 Ultimate players. Here are the confirmed participants in the Ludwig Smash Invitational in October:

Melee: